Shakespeare's Restless World

Anyone interested in Shakespeare - pupils, students, teachers, theatregoers and more - should listen to Neil McGregor's superb series on Radio 4, Shakespeare's Restless World, which has just been completed. Each episode last 15 minutes, and, as in his acclaimed series A History of the World in 100 Objects, takes as its starting point an object to present a portrait of the world the plays came from. The series can still be listened to online, or via podcast. Its microsite includes lots of further information, including illustrations of the objects McGregor discusses, and transcripts of the talks.

Subjects include 'Life Without Elizabeth' (going to the heart of anxieties about monarchy in the plays) and 'A Time of Change, a Change of Time' (very handy for the sonnets' obsession about the theme).